Managing budgets and finance

Australian Capital Territory

Training Providers must charge a tuition fee except where the student is exempt, or eligible for a concession and the Training Provider chooses to waive the remaining tuition fee.

Training Providers may determine the fee per delivery mode; however, it must be equal to or higher than the published mandatory minimum tuition fee for each Australian Apprenticeship qualification.

The mandatory minimum tuition fee is $350 per qualification.

All Allara Learning courses offered through subsidised training in the ACT are charged at the rate of $350 per qualification.

Concession fees

A student is eligible for a fee concession if, at the commencement of training they:

• hold a current health care card or pension card, or
• can prove genuine hardship.

Where the student is under 18 years of age this rule will apply if the parent/ guardian holds one of the above cards.

Exemption from fees

A student is exempt from the tuition fee where:

• the employer is the Training Provider for its own apprentice or trainee, or
• the apprentice or trainee leaves one employer and recommences within 12 months with another employer, in the same qualification and with the same Training provider, or
• the apprentice or trainee is required to go to a different Training Provider because of a change of RTO process, or
• the student is a school based apprentice and the school is the Training Provider.

Queensland

Certificate 3 Guarantee

The Certificate 3 Guarantee program, funded by the Queensland Government, supports eligible individuals to complete their first post-school certificate III qualification.

You may be eligible to receive a subsidy towards one certificate III qualification. Download the Certificate 3 Guarantee student fact sheet for more information.

Higher Level Skills

The Higher Level Skills program, funded by the Queensland Government, provides a government subsidy to support eligible individuals to access subsidised training in selected certificate IV and above qualifications, or priority skill sets.

You may be eligible to receive a subsidy towards one certificate IV or higher qualification. Download the Higher Level Skills student fact sheet for more information.

Student co-contribution fees

Qualifications funded by the Certificate 3 Guarantee and Higher Level Skills programs require a student co-contribution fee. The following table lists the courses offered by Allara Learning that are funded by the Certificate 3 Guarantee or Higher Level Skills programs and the student co-contribution fees applicable for each course.

The student co-contribution fee is calculated at a per unit rate of:

• $20 per unit of competency for non-concessional, or
• $5 per unit of competency for concessional
   

To be eligible for a Concession fee you must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card issued by either Centrelink or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
• Be a partner or dependent of someone holding a valid Concession Card.
• Be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

User choice

The User Choice program provides a public funding contribution towards the cost of training and assessment services for eligible Queensland apprentices and trainees.

The User Choice subsidy represents the level of public funding the government contributes towards the total cost of training for apprentices and trainees. A contribution fee payable by the employer applies to all User Choice traineeships and apprenticeship qualifications offered by Allara Learning.

The contribution fee varies according to the elective units chosen for the qualification. Allara Learning has various elective ‘streams’ available to suit different job roles.

The contribution fee is calculated at a per unit rate of:

• $1,60 per nominal hour for non-concessional, or
• $0.64 per nominal hour for concessional
   

Free apprenticeships for under 25s is available under the User Choice program for eligible Queenslanders studying a high priority apprenticeship or traineeship. For further information, explore the Free apprenticeships for under 25s page on the Queensland Government Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training website.

Apprentices undertaking the SIT30821 Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and under the age of 25 are Fee Free.

New South Wales

Under Smart and Skilled, a student contributes towards the cost of training through the payment of a student fee. The student fee and the subsidy from the Government make up the qualification price.

Student fees are:

• Set for the whole qualification (they are not annual or semester fees)
• Lower for a student doing their first post-school qualification
• Set for the student and the qualification and will be the same regardless of choice of provider.

Fee free training 2023

Students enrolling in Smart and Skilled training in the calendar year 2023, may be eligible for a Fee-Free training place.

• Traineeships and Apprenticeships
• New entrant traineeships are Fee-Free in the state of NSW.
• New entrant and existing worker apprentices are Fee-Free in the state of NSW.

Entitlement Full Qualifications (EFQ)

The following qualifications are available through the Smart and Skilled Entitlement Full Qualifications (EFQ) program.

Targeted Priorities Full Qualifications (TPFQ)

Concession fees

A student who receives a specified Commonwealth Government benefit or allowance is eligible for a concession fee for a qualification up to and including Certificate IV. The student must be in receipt of the specified benefit or allowance at the time of enrolment to be eligible.

Concession fee is also available to a student who is a dependent of a person receiving a specified Commonwealth Government benefit or allowance.

Commonwealth Government benefits and allowances

• Age pension Austudy
• Carer payment Disability Support Pension
• Farm Household Allowance Family Tax Benefit Part A (Maximum rate)
• JobSeeker payment Parenting Payment (Single)
• Special Benefit Veterans’ Affairs Pensions
• Veterans’ Children education Scheme Widow Allowance
• Youth Allowance

Exemption from fees

A student who falls into one of the following categories will qualify for fee-free training:

• An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
• A student with a disability.
• Dependent child, spouse or partner of a recipient of a Disability Support Pension.
• Refugee ir Asylum seeker (and eligible partners) – for training up to and including Certificate IV.
• Recipient of a Fee-Free Scholarship – for training up to and including Certificate IV.

Credit Transfer (CT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Fees for Smart and Skilled enrolments may be reduced when Credit Transfer (CT) and/or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) are granted for one or more units of competency.